Bahrain's Salman enters FIFA race

Manama - Bahrian's Asian football chief Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim al Khalifa confirmed Monday that he had submitted his bid for the FIFA presidency, saying he wanted to put the world game's governing body "back on the right track."

Salman said in a statement that he had decided to run to succeed Sepp Blatter in February's election "out of a wish to put the international organisation back on the right track and in response to calls by many members of the football community."

"FIFA is currently going through a delicate phase that necessitates serious work to regain confidence in this large sports organisation," he said.

"This pushes us to not stand with folded arms and to exert every possible effort to clean the image of this umbrella of international football," he added.

Salman said that cementing transparency and justice should be a "high priority" in FIFA.

"The fast unfolding events have had a negative impact on the reputation of FIFA that is no secret," he said.

Salman is one of eight declared candidates ahead of Monday's deadline for bids to stand in the February 26 election for president of the scandal-hit organisation.